Driver in Thursday Accident Charged With DWI, Drug Possession

Brick police charged a Seaside Heights woman with drunk driving and drug possession after she hit a pole and flipped her car Thursday morning.

Ruth Papaneri, 36, was traveling northbound on Brick Blvd. in her 2003 Ford Taurus when she lost control of the vehicle and struck a utility pole around 9:55am, according to Capt. John Rein. The vehicle flipped and landed on its roof near the Kennedy Mall shopping center at the intersection of Brick Blvd. and Cedar Bridge Ave., Rein said.

Crews from Brick Police, Brick Police EMS, Breton Woods Fire Dept., Pioneer Hose Fire Dept. and MONOC helped extricate Papaneri and a passenger, Thomas Spruy, 38, of Seaside Heights, from the vehicle. The pair was treated at the scene before being transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune. Papaneri suffered facial injuries and Spruy suffered head and neck injuries, according to police.

Northbound traffic on Brick Blvd. was diverted for about two hours while a JCP&L crew stabilized the downed utility pole. As of 4:30pm crews still had two lanes closed as repairs continued.

The accident is being investigated by Brick Police Ptl. Daniel Fogarty, who charged Papaneri with DWI, reckless driving and possession of a control dangerous substance.